E3 2008: Gaming Roundup 7/17/08:

Sorry about yesterday. E3 is a harsh mistress, and when I returned to my hotel at 4 AM, I decided you guys wouldn't really care about a Roundup whose time had long passed. So anyway, let's jump right in. Read more to find out all about E3, Flagship Studios' death knells, and much, much more.

"You've been an incredible community that we've all felt privileged to be a part of, and we're not quite ready to let go of that little family just yet. No matter the outcome, this has been a fantastic experience, and I and the team would like to thank each and every one of you for the tireless hours of testing and discussion you've undergone, and the uniquely friendly community spirit that you all helped foster. It's been a treat every step of the way."

Their big game may have crashed beneath a wave of mediocrity, but Flagship still had loads of talent on board and their other title, Mythos, looked quite promising. My heart sank when I read about all of the firings, and I hope they can somehow pull things back together.

Nintendo's big "core" game at this year's E3 is Animal Crossing: City Folk. I halfway expected Reggie's question to be followed by a throaty laugh and a "Just kidding!" Reggie, instead, contended that Animal Crossing's Internet connectivity should have E3's halls ringing with the reverberations of excited high-fives. He also attempted to reassure gamers with the promise of future Mario and Zelda titles -- eventually. But as VG247 says, Reggie is missing the point. We have no qualms with Nintendo's quality; we just want more of it.

Sadly, this new title was pulled from E3 at the last minute -- invalidating Bungie's deep blue countdown and prompting a flood of tears from their loyal fanbase. However, at least we know what it is now: Halo. And not the Peter Jackson project either -- something entirely new. I'm actually not too upset about this, considering that Bungie could easily be developing a new IP as well now that they're independent.

Tretton thinks that Microsoft's Avatars don't matter since the cartoony, brightly-colored characters aren't exactly a perfect double of Sony's more realistic-looking Home service. However, I believe copycatting is actually a huge issue here, insofar as Microsoft can't decide which hat they want to wear anymore. Casual? Hardcore? They've decided to strap on something in-between, which is why they're snatching ideas from both Sony and Nintendo. Do not want.

Activision gave us a quick look at Raven's new take on id's first child during its (non-E3!) press conference. It looks ok, but kind of generic. We'll be hearing more at Quakecon, so I'm far from damning it at this point. Anyway, check out the screenshots after the link.